Canine distemper outbreak in a zoo

동물원에서 집단 발생한 개 디스템퍼 감염증

A total of 5 animals including 3 raccoons, 1 badger, and 1 fennec fox kept in outdoor exhibits at the Everland Zoological Gardens showed depression, anorexia, dyspnea, serous oculonasal discharge, diarrhea, and convulsions. All the affected animals died within 10 days after the onset of clinical signs. This outbreak lasted about 4 months. On necropsy, major gross lesions were confined to the lungs. Red to grey sublobular to lobular consolidations with various sized tan to reddish spots were observed in the lungs. Histopathologically, the pulmonary lesions were characterized by acute to subacute bronchointerstitial pneumonia with secondary bacterial or adenoviral infections. Intracytoplasmic eosinophilic inclusion bodies compatible with canine distemper virus (CDV) were found in the lung, urinary bladder, kidney, intrahepatic bile duct, stomach, small and large intestines. Multifocal areas of severe demyelination and accumulation of gitter cells or nonsuppurative inflammation were seen in the brains of 2 raccoons. CDV -specific antigens were demonstrated in the lung sections on immunofluorescent assay. The present report describes an outbreak of CDV infection in a zoo and indicates the range of susceptible zoo animal species.